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Context :

• Recently, A 16-year assessment in India indicates steady or growing 
• This suggests that conservation efforts are having a positive impact.
• Its continued monitoring & protection are crucial to maintaining this trend.

About Olive Ridley Turtles :

• They are smallest & most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world.
• They are named for their olive colored carapace (shell).
• They are mostly found in the tropical regions of the Pacific, Indian, & South Atlantic Oceans.
• They are Known for their unique mass nesting behavior called

Arribada:

• It is a coordinated mass nesting event in which thousands of females congregate on a specific beach to lay eggs.
• It occurs in a few select locations around the world, with Odisha in India being a major site.
• The reasons behind arribada are still not fully understood, but it is believed to be a strategy to overcome predators.

Habitat and Distribution:

• They prefer warm waters.
• They are migratory, traveling long distances between feeding & breeding grounds.
• Their major nesting sites in India include:
  • Odisha (Gahirmatha, Rushikulya, Devi River mouth)
  • Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in Odisha, India, is known as the world’s largest rookery (breeding colony) for sea turtles.
  • Andhra Pradesh
• Other important locations are in Pacific coast of central America.

Threats:

• Bycatch: Entanglement in fishing nets (trawlers, gill nets) is a major threat.
• Habitat loss: Coastal development & beach erosion.
• Pollution: Plastic debris & other pollutants.
• Climate change: Rising sea levels, changes in ocean currents & increased storm frequency.
• Predation: Eggs & hatchlings are vulnerable to predators such as feral dogs, pigs & birds.
• Illegal trade: Although protected, eggs are sometimes caught as a form of poaching.

Conservation Status:

• IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule 1
• CITES: Appendix I

Conservation Efforts:

• Protecting nesting beaches.
• Enforcing fishing regulations to reduce bycatch (e.g., use of turtle excluder devices – TEDs).
• Awareness campaigns to educate the public about the importance of conserving sea turtles.
• Monitoring populations.
• Researching their migration patterns and life cycles.

Source: IE